Weekend Retreat

The Engaged Spiritual Life: Awakening Individually and Collectively in a Time of Need

with visiting author and Insight meditation teacher

Donald Rothberg

Friday, August 11 –
Sunday, August 13

Retreat Schedule:

Friday: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (also open to the public)

Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

How do we combine depth of spiritual practice with engaging in the larger world, responding to the major challenges of our times? The path of engaged Buddhism is a path connecting inner and outer transformation. It is about coming to see that our real work is the same whether we are in silent practice, with our families or communities, or helping to transform our larger society and ecosystems. It is to be aware and present to what is happening; to respond empathically and compassionately to suffering; to understand our interdependence and to help develop what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “beloved community”; to transform reactivity and to work skillfully with difficult emotions and thoughts; to develop wise speech and communication; and to act with wisdom, commitment, grace, and equanimity in difficult circumstances and with conflicts.

Recognizing that there are phases of more inner work and more outer engagement, and very personal ways of navigating this balance, Donald will help us identify key principles and practices that can help us to weave together the different parts of our lives and practice—individual, relational, and collective—increasingly into a seamless whole. He will share insights from over twenty-five years of teaching, scholarship, developing training programs, and action in this area.

The retreat will include silent and guided periods of sitting and walking meditation, interactive exercises, talks, discussion, and meetings with the teacher, all in the context of about 40% of the retreat in silent practice.

Costs and The Practice of “Dana”

Weekend retreats at the Dharma Center have a 2-part “cost:” Because the teachings are considered priceless and are to be supported by Dana (a voluntary, anonymous offering of no specified amount) we ask that you make a Dana offering to the teacher, in gratitude and support of the teachings – as best fits your circumstances and brings you joy in giving.

Secondly, we ask a sliding-scale registration fee to cover the teacher’s expenses and the cost of putting on the retreat. Scholarships are always available and no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

In the registration process, you will be given a choice of fee.
Please opt for the rate that best suits your circumstances:

Base Rate: $125
Student/Supportive Rate: $75
Benefactor Rate: $175

If you would like to ask for a scholarship, (to pay an amount below $75) please email us and let us know, we’re happy to help. Opting for the benefactor rate allows us to offer scholarships and practice our “no one turned away for lack of funds” commitment. Any amount you give above the $125 base rate is a 501c3 recognizable donation. Thank you for your support of our programs and your fellow practitioners!

More About this Topic:

By the time Donald Rothberg was in his early twenties, he knew he had two vocations. He wanted to dedicate himself to justice and social change, and he wanted to commit himself to exploring the depths of human consciousness-to an awakening of our deeper spiritual nature. It has been his life’s work, as an activist, organizer, writer, and teacher, to bring these two paths together and to reveal how deeply they require one another.

The Engaged Spiritual Life is the fruit of this work. Skillfully weaving together basic spiritual teachings, real-life examples, social context, and exercises, Rothberg provides a clear, thorough, and compelling guide for those interested in connecting inner and outer transformation. At the core of the book are ten spiritual principles and associated practices that will enable readers to engage all the parts of their lives-whether personal, interpersonal, or political-into a seamless whole.

About Donald Rothberg

Donald Rothberg, PhD, is a member of the Teachers Council at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976 and also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice, in the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy, and in the Somatic Experiencing approach to working with trauma. Formerly on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kenyon College, and Saybrook University, he currently teaches and writes on mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation and the application of these and other practices and teachings to transforming the judgmental mind, speech and communication, working with conflict, social service, and social action. Donald is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World, and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers. He is currently working on a book on Transforming the Judgmental Mind.

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A Walk with Sam

Friday August 18
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
An opportunity to learn more about different religions in the area, possibly dispelling stereotypes and opening our hearts and minds. The Dharma Center will share what it is about the Buddha’s teachings that is considered so valuable, timeless and noble.

Open Morning Sit

Closed For Labor Day

September 4th

The Dharma Center will not be open on Sept. 4th in honor of the Labor Day holiday. Please note that this means there will be no noon sit on that day. The Thich Nhat Hahn Group and Zen Group will not be meeting that day either.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Why Meditate?

September 67pm-9pm
with Suzanne Colón and Alice RobisonThis class will present the basic benefits of meditation, why it’s worth your time and what you might expect to get out of the practice.